Modi's I-Day call: swadeshi, security shield, farm focus

The Prime Minister looked to deliver a strong response to challenges the country is facing

- Manas Pimpalkhare, Dhirendra Kumar & Gireesh Chandra Prasad

Over 103 minutes of exhortation - the longest by any Prime Minister in independent India - Narendra Modi used his 12th Independence Day address to urge citizens to make a decisive shift towards swadeshi (local) products, framing it as a shield against global supply chain disruptions, tariff wars, and shifting geopolitical alliances, even as he put farmers' interest as top priority.

Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 78th anniversary of India's independence, Modi outlined a roadmap that tied together increased domestic manufacturing, sweeping indirect tax reforms, and a strengthened national security architecture under the Sudarshan Chakra mission, as he looked to deliver a strong response to several challenges the country has been facing in recent months.

"If the sacrifices of crores of people can lead to an independent India, then the decisiveness, self-reliance, and choice of swadeshi products can lead to a prosperous India," the Prime Minister said, urging traders to prominently display and market locally made products.

Modi's address, reflecting themes of 'New India' and 'Nation First', also included measures to improve ease of doing business, along with plans to curb illegal immigration.

Self-reliance was essential to insulating the economy from external disruptions, Modi said. "Self-reliance is not just about exports, imports, the rupee, or the dollar. It is about our capabilities, our strength to stand on our own," Modi said.